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Almost as Cool as the New Boeing 777: The New Flight Simulator

By

Jon Ostrower

Aug 30, 2013 6:34 pm ET

Airlines are awaiting the official launch later this year of a new incarnation of Boeing Co.’s popular 777. Meanwhile, the anticipation among virtual jet pilots has been for a decidedly less expensive–and less tangible–version of the wide-body jet.

Next week, a small company called Precision Manuals Development Group LLC plans to release the 777 version of its flight simulator software. The software replicates in vivid detail every facet of flying the long-range jetliner—from the exact handling characteristics of the 777 to custom sounds of every knob and switch and even oily fingerprints on the displays–for those who want to take to the air without leaving their desk chairs. Precision Manuals hasn’t set the price of the software yet, but previous models cost $70 a copy. A real 777 lists for $296 million.

PMDG, as the company is known, leads a small pack of software companies that serve a cult-like group of desktop simulator enthusiasts, who pack forums with rumored hints of new software releases, sometimes analyzing screenshots of dials and gauges in search of clues.